GAZETTE THE CENTRE COUNTY
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
Mature Lifestyles
The Gazette’s special section includes a little bit of everything for Centre County seniors, including a look at volunteerism, staying active, living better in retirement and area senior centers./Pages 17-24
May 12-18, 2016
Volume 8, Issue 19
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Commissioners address language concerns By G. KERRY WEBSTER correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — With more than 6,000 Penn State students speaking foreign languages, addressing language concerns in the county’s 911 system topped discussion at the recent regular board meeting of the Centre County commissioners. Dale Neff, director of Centre County 911, approached the board of commissioners on May 10 to discuss a new three-year service agreement between the county and Voiance Language Services LLC, which would provide over-the-phone interpretation services when 911 dispatchers need them. According to Neff, if a non-English speaking resident phones 911, the call is tied into the interpretation service to determine the emergency. Currently, the county is contracted with a service that outsources these interpreters.
Neff said his research discovered Voiance Language Services, which is based in Tucson, Ariz. He said this company employs the interpreters needed for such a service, and employs them in house, thus eliminating the need for further outsourcing. “I just think this might be a better option for us,” said Neff. “So far, in 2016, we’ve used about 100 minutes of interpretive service. We don’t have a lot of those kinds of calls, but with all the foreign Penn State students here and their families, we need to make sure we can understand their issues and get help out to them as quickly as possible.” According to Neff, this service would be billed monthly at 75 cents per minute when the service is being utilized. The contract period would begin Friday, May 20, and continue through May 2019. Commissioners, Page 5
G. KERRY WEBSTER/For the Gazette
POLICE HONORED: The Centre County board of commissioners this week officially proclaimed May 15-21 as National Police Week and May 15 as National Peace Officer’s Memorial Day. Pictured, from left, are commissioners Steve Dershem, Mark Higgins and Michael Pipe, Centre County Sheriff Bryan Sampsel and Lt. Todd Weaver.
Grace Hampton’s artful life
SPECIAL GUEST
CENTRE COUNTY SPOTLIGHT By HARRY ZIMBLER correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
PATRICK MANSELL/Penn State University
TELEVISION PRODUCER and series creator Donald P. Bellisario, a Penn State alumnus, gave the commencement address at the College of Communications spring graduation ceremony May 7. Bellisario has created some of television’s most popular series, including “Magnum P.I.,” “Quantum Leap” and “NCIS.”
UNIVERSITY PARK — Thoughtful and humble, Grace Hampton has lived a life surrounded by the art and artists she loves. The first African-American in central administration at Penn State, she has a life story that spans the divide between plantation slaves and a nationally recognized and celebrated art educator. Her life began in Courtland, Ala., a rural place that gave rise to many in her family, including her mother and father. “We can count six generations back,” Hampton said. “It appears that the early people came as slaves to that area. My great-grandfather was still alive when I was a little girl.” Many of the stories her grandmother told her focused on plantation life. “The ‘big house,’ where the plantation owner lived, was left in town for many years,” she said. Her grandmother also shared the story of first hearing that she was free.
Racism in Alabama became unbearable, and Hampton’s father refused to live under those conditions. He decided to move his family to Chicago. There, the family encountered segregation and all the emotional pain its hateful rules engendered. Her father, a man who worked as a tenant farmer, growing and picking cotton, eventually found himself in the steel mills of Gary, Ind. A young Grace attended school in Chicago and spent summers in Alabama, getting — and staying GRACE HAMPTON — in touch with her history. The Hampton family lived in Chicago’s Maxwell Street neighborhood, where the University of Chicago is now located. It was a cultural melting pot for artists, musicians and intellectuals of all kinds. Hampton had the opportunity to see Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim and Five Blind Boys perform live. Hampton, Page 5
Annual AAUW Book Sale ready to roll By JODI MORELLI correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — Snider Agricultural Arena at Penn State will be transformed into a book lover’s dream, Saturday, May 14, through Tuesday, May 17. The arena is the site of the 55th annual Used Book Sale, organized and run by the State College Branch of the American AsOpinion ............................ 9 Health & Wellness ..... 10, 11
sociation of University Women. However, the sale itself is the result of the work of hundreds of volunteers who put in many hours collecting, sorting and packing books. Donna Trapp, chairperson of the sale, said the event is a true community effort, from the countless individuals and organizations donating books to the army of volunteers who turn the
Education ....................... 12 Community ............... 13-16
boxes of books into one of the largest sales on the East Coast. The sale draws dealers and patrons not only from Centre County, but from as far away as Maine, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, New York and Ohio. “There are over 100 people who help move all our books from the workshop to the Ag arena in just one evening. Then there are another 100 who work
Mature Lifestyles ...... 17-24 Sports ......................... 25-28
the sale. Without these people we would be lost,” she said. Trapp, who is in her second year of chairing the sale, said the event is the culmination of a process that takes an entire year. Through summer, fall and winter months, individuals and community organizations donate thousands of books, audio books Book Sale, Page 8
Kids and Summer ..... 29-32 Around & In Town .... 33, 34
IF YOU GO What: 55th annual AAUW Used Book Sale When: Saturday, May 14, through Tuesday, May 17 Where: Snider Agricultural Arena More info: www.aauwstate college.org/booksale.html
What’s Happening ......... 35 Puzzles ............................ 36
Business ..................... 37, 38 Classified ........................ 39